Emerald Forest

The bull-head was roaring through the night sky, moving further into the Emerald Forest past Beacon Academy. Inside the ship was a combat ready team RWBY accompanied by their combat instructor and deputy headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch. On the ship, Ruby was feeling a bit nervous. Ozpin had told them what he saw, and she had a hard time believing it. A green and yellow star, falling from the sky. It sounded something like the bedtime stories her dad used to read her.

Ruby calmed herself, and turned to her team. "So, any idea what it could be?"

Yang shrugged. "Maybe those aliens we were talking about earlier."

Weiss scoffed. "Highly unlikely, Xiao Long. It might be a drone or a huntsman."

Blake considered. "That sounds believable, but Ozpin said they fell from orbit and made a sharp turn. Nothing we have can even go past that."

Glynda turned to her students. "That's enough children. We don't know enough about the situation to make any accurate guesses. That's why Ozpin sent us to find out what it was. Keep close and stay alert."

The team straightened and responded "Yes ms. Goodwitch."

The bullhead descends near the approximate location of the impact, and the students and teacher exit. The bullhead hovers and returns to Beacon.

Blake spots a crater in the distance. "There!"

They approach it and find burn marks, a few broken trees, and more worrying, footprints coming from the crater.

Ruby examined it. "It looks like something came out of the crater, and might have been in a fight with something if the scorch marks say anything."

Glynda nodded. "Well done Miss Rose. Any thought as to what this person could've been fighting?"

Ruby squinted. "Hard to tell, but it could either be Grimm or another person."

Blake pointed to the footprints, which lead deeper into the forest. "I suggest we follow the trail and ask them."

Ruby struck a pose and pointed. "Follow the trail!" She sped off in a cloud of rose petals. The others ran after her.

Cave Entrance

Ruby dashed to a clearing in the forest, coming across a cave entrance. The area was littered with metal cases and the entrance had rails and dead lamps.

The others caught up to her, Weiss scolding her. "Ruby you dolt! You left us behind!"

Ruby cringed and frowned. "Sorry…"

Weiss sighed. "It's ok Ruby. Just… keep close. We're a team."

Ruby looked grateful. "Right, partner."

The others looked around. Weiss looked at the cave. "This looks like a mine. An abandoned mine as well."

Blake looked at the footprints, now followed by another pair of footprints. "Hey guys! Check these."

They gathered around the prints, and they looked… different. Bigger, deeper imprind, and sporting two toes.

Yang hummed. "Grimm?"

Glynda tilted her head. "While I don't recall any grimm that makes these tracks, nothing else could match these…"

They heard a low boom, and they turned towards the mine entrance. The booming continued, and they could see faint flashes of green and yellow light.

They pulled out their weapons. Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud, Weiss pointed Myrtenaster, Yang cocked Ember Celica, Ruby twirled Crescent Rose, and Glynda whipped out her riding crop.

As they approached the cave, they heard trampled foliage and low growls. They slowly turned around and saw glowing red eyes peering from the trees, as the grimm revealed themselves. There were several Beowolves, a couple Ursa, a few Creepers, and slithering to the front was a King Taijitu. Their eyes were previously on the mineshaft, but now were firmly planted on the huntresses before them.

Glynda sighed. "Students, let's see how much you've learned."

The grimm roared and charged. Team RWBY got to work.

Ruby fired off rounds from Crescent Rose, making creeper heads explode, before twirling it and slicing a Beowolf in half. Weiss produced orange glyphs, launching fireballs into the Beowolves, before freezing an Ursa in place and racing forward to stab it in the throat. Blake fired a few rounds into the oncoming grimm, slowing them or making their heads explode, and threw it into a Creeper and used the ribbon to make a temporary flail, smashing it onto an Ursa. Yang was in the thick of it, tossing grimm and absorbing damage, even picking up two Ursa and slamming their heads together, reducing them to ash.

The King Taijitu roared, glaring at the huntresses in absolute hate.

RWBY glanced at each other, and Ruby called it. "Bumblebee, take the black head! White Rose will take the white head!"

The others nodded and charged the grimm.

The black head struck the ground, with Blake and Yang having dodged and moving to each side of it. As the head reared back, Blake jammed Gambol Shroud into it's eye while Yang ripped a fang out and jammed it in the other eye. Blinded, the black head thrashed around, tossing the two off it. Yang shouted "Hey creepy!", and the head turned to the noise and struck. Yang caught it and lifted the head up as Blake dove underneath and sliced its throat open. The head moaned and fell to the ground.

The white head was more reserved, waiting for an opening. Weiss turned to Ruby and the head took the shot, only to be blocked by a glyph, holding it in place. Ruby took the chance and leapt onto the top of it and sliced it's eye open and was thrown off. Ruby landed on her feet, her and Weiss looked at each other, and nodded. Weiss shot an ice projectile, getting it's attention, and struck the ground as Weiss dodged and placed a holding glyph. Ruby raced to her partner, who prepared a line of glyphs going for the head. Ruby took a breath and raced down them, twirling her scythe. The blade came fast and spinning, and cleaved the head right down the middle, splitting it into two.

The King Taijitu dissipated into smoke. The team took a breather.

Yang chuckled. "Give a girl a heads up next time. Eh?" The others groaned.

Glynda walked up. "While I have a few notes, that was an impressive display."

The good feeling following the compliment was short lived, as more roars sounded in the distance.

Ruby looked towards the cave. "Ok, someone is down thee and may need help. Weiss, you and I are going down there to find them. Yang and Blake, hold the grimm off up here."

Blake reloaded Gambol Shroud. "You got it."

Glynda readied her crop. "I'll help too. There might be more this time."

Ruby and Weiss nodded and ran into the mine, unaware of what they were stepping into…

Abandoned Mine

The mines had veins of unmined dust, rails along the floor for carts, worn out beams to prevent cave ins, and dead lamps lining the walls.

In a large chamber, green and yellow sword constructs clashed as R'tay and Helos dueled in the center.

The clashing swords suddenly vanished as Helos called out "You have nowhere to run, R'tay!"

R'tay responded, "The only one of us I would be concerned about is yourself, Helos."

Helos pointed his ring at R'tay, firing a bolt of green energy to his foe. R'tay blocked with a yellow hard light construct of a shield, and proceeded to create a pair of alien pistols and begin firing. Rolling and dodging, Helos created green ropes and pulled the guns from him. R'tay created a large mass of yellow light, forming into an alien dragon, roaring at the green hero. Helos dashed to the right, avoiding the burst of flames coming from the beast, and summoned a rifle. The green bullets barely seemed to faze it, as it lunged to crush Helos with his jaws. A green fist jammed itself in its mouth, as Helos moved to the left and created a firing squad in power armor wielding rocket launchers. As one, they fired at the dragon, splintering it into shattered glass constructs. R'tay used the shards to rip the soldiers to shreds, followed with a flurry of daggers flying at the green lantern, only to be met with the business end of something resembling a bull. Driving itself into his gut, it slammed him into the ground, covering himself in rocks. A series of green boulders fell and should've stomped Rtay into paste, but a yellow chisel materialized. The rocks shattered, sending Helos staggering back as Rtay stumbled out of his crater.

Breathing heavy, Helos looked at his recovering foe. "A black market ship, taken to a distant system of a distant sector. What brought you here?"

R'tay glared at him. "I will not answer to you or your ineffectual guardians! Such privileges are only held by the keeper of the Yellow Light!"

"And siding with the traitor is better?"

"Sinestro taught us the truths that even the Guardians refuse to accept! They ignore their emotions, their fear at the cost of a thousand worlds! In fact, allow me to teach you the true power of FEAR!"

R'tay formed a bladed staff, the head completely alien in design, and charged at Helos, who had formed a staff of his own.

The clash began, the staffs twirling and slashing at any opening, only to be met with either the opponent's weapon or a swift dodge. R'tay attempted to strike Helos in the head with the blunt end, which was blocked. He then twisted the staff upward and impaled Helos in his gut. Purple blood gushed out of the wound, as both constructs disappeared and he fell to the ground, R'tay standing victorious over his body.

He raised his staff to finish him, only for the sound of roars, gunfire, and shouting to echo from outside. R'tay glanced at the tunnel leading to the surface, leaving him open.

Helos blasted him away and ran for a tunnel on the other side.

R'tay got up and growled, before turning to the source of the noise.